Pilot beam



Apr. 24, 1923. 1,452,538

c. T, WESTLAKE PILOT BEAM Filed Aug. 1922 @J @5M/17g Patented pr. 24, 1923.

1,45538 FF l C CHARLES T. WESTQLAKE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOB TO COMMONWEALTH STEEL COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PILOT BEAM.

Application tiled August 8, 1922. Serial No. 580,396.

To all whom t muy concern.'

Be it lmown that I. CHARLES T. VVESTLAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis. Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pilot Beams, of which the following is a full, clear. and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application.

My invention relates to pilot beams tor locomotives and consists in a beam preferably formed of a onepiece casting and adapted to have secured thereto extraneous members such as a pilot, pilot braces, signal brackets, front end braces. and a drawbar pocket.

One object of my invention is to so construct such abeam that adequate strength and stiffness is provided where these various parts are secured. This preferably results in a beam of one or more box-like cross sections. l

It is usual in pilot beam construction to extend the bolts, which secure such members to the beam, clear through the beam. Such practice. of course. necessitates a bolt as longr as the width or depth of the beam,- andv another object of my invention is to construct a beam so that short bolts only eX- tending through the Wall of the beam to which the extraneous member is secured may be used.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a selected embodiment of my invention- Figure 1 is a front view of my improved pilot beam.

Figures 2 and 3 are horizontal sections taken on lines 2 2 and 3 3, respectively, of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse Section taken substantially on linev 4 4 of Figure 1 and illustrating the application of dilierent equipment to the beam.

The beam comprises a top wall l, a bottom wall 2, a front Wall 3, a rear Wall 4, and an intermediate horizontal Wall 5. Top Wall 1 and intermediate Wall 5 extend from end to end of the beam as do the upper portions of front and rear walls 3 and 4. The bottom wall 2 terminates a substantial distance from the ends of the beam and the middle portion of the bottom Wall is depressed at 6 to provide adequate backing for a drawbar pocket A.

' To lighten the construction and to provide access to the interior faces of the Walls' of the beam, the ends of the latter are left open.

to use metal rods to secure cores, which metal rods have to be removed after the casting of the beam, and for this reason also it is desirable that the beam be open at the end so that there will be an uninterrupted passageway for `removal of the bars and the cores. Integral push pole pockets 8 are formed on the ends of the beam. Adjacent the ends of the top wall of the beam, holes 9 are provided for bolts or rivets which receive the signal flag brackets. Further spaced from the ends of the beams are holes 10 in the top wall of the beam for bolts which attach the front end braces B.

In the front wall of the beam above and below intermediate member 5 are holes 11 for bolts which attach thepilot C. Similar holes 12 nearer the center of the beam are provided for receiving bolts which attach the drawbar pocket A. Holes 13 are provided in the bottom wall 2 at theends thereof for receiving bolts which attach the pilot knee D. Holes 14 in the rear wall 4 of the beam are provided for rivets which secure the beam to the locomotive frame.

I show each of the above-mentioned holes surrounded by a suitable boss formed on the interior of the corresponding beam wall and serving to reinforce the Wall surrounding the hole and facilitating the manipulation of bolts or nuts bearing thereon.

In order to get at the interior wall of the beam where these bolts enter, I provide suitable perforations in the horizontal Walls 2 and These perforations are indicated at provided and as a result be liable to dangerons accidents.

By this construction the locomotive frame, the end braces, the pilot, pilot braces, draw- G0 In making beams of this type it is customary bar coupler, andother parts not-shown on the drawlngs may be secured to the beam by comparatively short bolts which extend 'only' through the adjacent beam wall. It the nuts are placed on thel inside of the beam they are substantially protected from the Weather and may be removed more easily than if exposed and rusted or injured by blows.

Various inodiiicationsinl the details of my beam may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as expressed 1n length of the beam and provided with openangs adjacent to the ends of said bottom the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a pilot beam, front, rear, top and bottom walls and an intermediate horizontal member extending the entire length of the beam and perforated to provide access to connecting bolts .terminating within thel beam.

2. In a pilot beam, front, rear, top and bottom Walls and an intermediate horizontal member extending the entire length of the beam and perforatedto provide access to connecting bolts terminating within the beam, the'beam being open at both ends and having an unobstructed opening from end to end above the horizontal member.

3. In a pilot beam,fr'ont, rear, top and bottom walls and an intermediate horizontal member extending the entire length of the beam and perforated 4to provide access to connecting bolts terminating within the beam, the beam being open at both ends, and

having an unobstructed opening from end to endA below the horizontal member.

4. In a ilot beam, front, rear, top and bottom wal s, and an intermediate horizontal member extending the entire length of the beam and perforated to provide access to connecting bolts terminatingl within the beam, the beam being open at both ends and having unobstructed openings from end to end a ove and below said horizontal member.

5. In ay ilot beam, front, rear, top and bottom wal s and an intermediate horizontal member extending the entire length of beam. and perforated to provide access to connecting bolts terminating within the beam, the bottom Wall being depressed at its middle portion.

6. In a pilot beam, a top wall extending the full length of the beam, a bottom wall terminating short of the ends of the beam, an intermediate member parallel with said top and bottom walls, extending the full Wall to permit access to the interior, top, front. and rear walls of the beam above sald menber and near the endsV of said bottom wa l.

7. In a one-piece pilot beam of rectan lar cross` section, a horizontal reinforcing wall intermediate the top and bottom walls of the beam, bolt holes in the top, bottom, front and rear walls of the beam, and openings in said intermediate wall to permit access from one side thereof to bolt holes on the other side thereof.

8. In a one-piece pilot beam, vertical walls, horizontal walls, integral perforated bosses on the interior of said walls and spaced from the ends thereof for bolts securing extraneous members, and openings in said horizontal walls adjacent to said bosses to permit access tothe latter.

9. In a one-piece pilot beam, an upper ortion comprising a box-like section exten ing from end to end of the beam, and a lower wall below said section, connected thereto by integral front and rear walls, extending throughout a portion only of said section, and depressed .in its middle part to Aform a backing for a drawbar pocket.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ax my signature this 26th day of July, 1922.

CHARLES T. WEsTLAKE. 

